The Time Lord Victorious
by FirstTimeLady96
Summary: After the events of "Waters of Mars", the Doctor decides that he's going to get Rose back, because he is the Time Lord Victorious.    I've bent the timeline. Season 4 hasn't happened. No Journey's End!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

The Doctor entered the TARDIS after leaving Adelaide's house behind him. Her last words to playing over and over in his head. "Is there nothing you can't do?" she had said, to which he replied "Not anymore."

He was right in his reply to her. He could do anything he wanted. He was the Time Lord Victorious, and nothing could or would stop him. Immediately his thoughts wander to Rose. He knew what he did was wrong, but he was so tired of losing people. So tired of seeing death and despair and destruction. He could stop it, he could save them and so he did, damn the consequences. If Rose was here, she would stop him. But Rose wasn't here. She made him better, and now that she's gone, he's all alone again. No one to hold him back or even try to persuade him to stop. Even Martha was gone.

Rose Tyler, Defender of the Earth, owner of his hearts, was off stuck in another bloody universe, so far away from him that he couldn't stand it anymore. It wasn't just the pain of being alone; it was the pain of not seeing her. Not hearing her voice or her contagious laughter that always made him warm from the inside out. His fingers often twitched and ached unconsciously when her hand wasn't there for him to hold. He would often reach his arm out to nothing sometimes, forgetting she wasn't just being quiet or in a bad mood.

He couldn't take it anymore. If he didn't see her again, even if it was just one last time, he was sure he'd break down and never come out of the TARDIS again. If he didn't see her again, next time he died, he wouldn't regenerate.

He was going to get her back.

In a flash he was off the jump seat and over to the controls, flicking switches, pushing buttons, pulling levers, typing controls. He scanned the world for even the tiniest, microscopic rip or tear or hole in the walls of this universe so he could push through them and get to her. The screen suddenly lit up then. There it was, just a little blip on the screen. It was all he needed to get through.

"Rose, I'm coming to get you."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

The TARDIS lurched and he was on the floor, grabbing at the coral for support. It shook and bounced him from side to side, surely bruising him nearly everywhere on his body. Moments later, it stopped; the TARDIS landing with a thud.

The Doctor pushed himself off the ground as fast as he could, not even stretching the now aching limbs out before checking the screen.

He did it. He was in Pete's World, somewhere in London. He grabbed his coat and ran out the door, desperate to find Rose, or even Jackie or Pete, maybe Mickey, anyone he knew here so he could get to Rose.

He paused for a moment. What if Rose had moved on? He didn't know how long it'd been since Bad Wolf Bay for her. It had been a year - well, technically two years - for him. What if she has a boyfriend or a husband now? Kids? He wouldn't take her away from that. He also wouldn't just step back inside his blue box and fly back to the other universe, either.

He had to see her. Had to feel her in his arms again, breathing, heart beating against him. Hear her laugh, like bells ringing in his ears. See her smile, that pink tongue beneath her teeth that he loved oh so much. No, he wouldn't leave without seeing her, even if it was just once, just one more time to maybe say goodbye in person - the right way - if she wouldn't come with him.

He looked around, trying to gather where he was from his surroundings. He saw a news stand nearby, and was sure that was Rose on the cover of a magazine. Of course she would be famous now, he realized. She was now the daughter of Pete Tyler, founder of Vitex and head of Torchwood. He walked over and picked the magazine up, reading the cover.

"ROSE TYLER - IS SHE OK?"

Was she okay? What did that mean? He looked at the photo of her they'd used. She looked beautiful. She didn't look a day older than the last time he'd seen her. Had it only been a few months at most since Bad Wolf Bay for her? He examined the picture again, and then he noticed that she looked quite thin, a lot skinnier than she used to be. She didn't look all that healthy now that he noticed. His poor Rose, was she sick? Was it because of him?

He threw the magazine down, and tried to think of how he could find her. The mansion. How could he have been so stupid? Of course the mansion would be the first place to look, surely Jackie lived there with Pete now, and probably Rose, too. He asked the man at the news stand where he was. He wasn't that far away from the mansion, and was definitely in walking distance.

He walked for about a mile until he came across a familiar street. The one where they first discovered the ear pods - which he noted, no one was wearing them anymore, thank Rassilon - and he gave in to go and see this universe's version of her dad. He knew, at the time, that he would have given in soon anyways with the look she was unconsciously giving him. Her eyes were filled with such sadness that they looked almost empty, and he couldn't have that at all.

He was drawn out of his thoughts when he came upon the mansion gate. He contemplated pushing the button on the com, but then thought better of it. What would he say? "Oh, just The Doctor here, Jackie. Come to pick Rose up, is she around?" No, absolutely not. He'd do this the right way, - how Rose would want it - face to face, probably some running and then a huge hug that would go on for minutes upon minutes, never letting her out of his arms or reach for a second. He always imagined reuniting with her would be like that, and that they'd look at each other and then kiss, _finally_.

He pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver and unlocked the gate, then strolled up to the front door. He stopped. What was he going to do? Knock? Ring the doorbell? Just open the door? No, he definitely wouldn't just open the door; he might be shot for breaking in. He finally gave up and rang the doorbell.

Jackie's voice suddenly pierced his ears, and he never thought he'd be so glad to hear it.

"Coming!" Jackie yelled, and he could see through the window on the door that she was jogging down the stairs. She opened the door.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Jackie opened the door, her eyes the size of plates when she saw him. She gasped.

Of course, Jackie Tyler couldn't see him and not slap him. She reared her arm back, and slapped him right across his cheek. He really didn't mind right now either, because he was here in front of Rose's mother. It was the sort of normalcy that he craved so much for in Rose's absence. That says a lot – missing Rose so much he began to miss Jackie's slaps.

"No. No. You can't be here. How can you be here? Oh my GOD, it's YOU!" she suddenly enveloped him in a huge hug, and he returned it.

"Yes, it's me, Jackie. I found a way through the cracks. I - I don't mean to be rude, but I'm pretty sure you know the real reason why I'm here. Where is she?" The Doctor asked her, pulling away from her to look at her face. She looked a bit older, like she'd aged maybe a year or two.

"Oh, Doctor. Rose, she's... oh Rose, she's going to have a fit! I don't know what she'll do. She'll probably think she's dreaming or maybe imagining you there. She's done that before, you know. She thought she saw you out of the corner of her eye so many times. Pete thought she was going mad, but Mickey and I knew better. She was just missing you so horribly it was messing with her mind. When you say that out loud, it actually does sound like she kinda went mad..." she trailed off, realizing that he had grown very much impatient that she hadn't answered his question.

"Oh, right, sorry... It's just been hard on her - all of us really, mind you, but Rose just... She didn't eat for weeks, Doctor. She hardly came out of her room until just last month. She's gotten better, working for Torchwood now. She's at work right now, but I'll phone her and tell her you're - oh my God, what am I gonna tell her?" Jackie had no idea what to say to her daughter. The Doctor just showed up at her doorstep out of the blue, and she was practically speechless - well, as speechless as Jackie could get.

"Just tell her to come over. Don't tell her I'm here, I want to do this right."

"Alright, I'll be just a mo' then."

Jackie stalked off to what he remembered was the kitchen, and The Doctor looked around him. He saw toys on the floor in front of the stairs, some trucks and what he assumed were homemade dolls. They must be Rose's little brother's or sister's, and he went to inspect them instead of awkwardly standing around like a lost puppy.

He picked one of the dolls up. It was a tiny girl, with blonde hair and dressed in jeans and a pink jacket. He picked up the other doll, and then with a small gasp and a flutter of his hearts, realized that the dolls were of himself and Rose. And there was a small wooden box, hand crafted, painted blue and looked exactly like the TARDIS. He smiled, inspecting the features of the toy TARDIS in his hand, seeing that there was every detail - down to the scratches and the little chip missing at the corner of the door where he'd whacked some alien tech on it accidentally.

Jackie walked back in then, and he was sure she said something but he didn't quite here it as he was busy marveling at these handmade toys he was sure Rose had made for her younger sibling to play with.

"Oh, those are Tony's. Rose made them for him. Cute, aren't they? They always play together after dinner before his bath, then she goes and tells him a story for bedtime. She tells him about you and your silly box, and the adventures you went on with her. Tony's completely obsessed with the idea of you. Anyways, Rose said she gets off early today anyways, so she'll be here in a few minutes. Torchwood's not that far away from here." Jackie said, as she picked up some of the other toys lying around.

"I could make some tea, if you'd like?"

"That'd be nice, Jackie, thanks." The Doctor finally put the toys down on the stairs, following Jackie into the kitchen.

Once the tea was made, Jackie sat at the breakfast bar next to him. She looked him over a few times, like she was analyzing him.

"You look older." she said, with a sad small smile. "How long's it been since... Since the beach, Doctor?"

"I feel older." He took a deep breath then, recalling the painful memories from Bad Wolf Bay and tried to push them out of his head. He was here, in Pete's World, sitting in Jackie's kitchen just like if he were back in the old days with Rose, visiting her mum and she was packing more clothes in her bedroom. "It's been two years. How long has it been for you lot, then?"

"Two years? Blimey, 's only been about eight months for us. I'm glad though, that it wasn't two years for Rose. I don't think she'd be able to hang on that long, Doctor. She's already slipping away. I miss how she used to be. She hardly laughs anymore, rarely smiles, and if she does it's when she's playing with Tony or telling him stories of the 'Crazy adventures of The Doctor and Rose', as she calls them."

The Doctor took in a breath, about to reply, but then the sound of the front door opening stopped him. The breath he took in left him so fast he wasn't sure he even took one in.

* * *

><p>Okay, so quick author's note here.<p>

I'll be going out of town next week (Monday - April 9th) and will only have my iPod with me. I'll continue to write this story as much as I can on my trip, but I wouldn't expect a lot of writing because I'm going for a doctor's appointment due to health issues. I'll be gone for about 4 days, so I probably wont be posting chapter 5 until Friday of next week. Just a warning.

I also want to thank you all so very much for all of the feedback I'm getting on this story. I was just bored one day on Tumblr and asked for a prompt, and someone gave me this one! So, I really have to thank** .com** for giving me the opportunity to write this story. Go follow her, she's brilliant! I really owe you one, dear!

As for the next few chapters, I've got the actual reunion scene done, but there's the problem with the walls breaking down. Of course The Doctor and Rose have to save the day, but should I include them saving the day once again, or should I just jump to when they've finished with that and talk about their future and what's they're going to do? I'm scared that if I write them working together again that I'll not live up to my - or your - expectations with all the techno-babble and science and explanations of what's going on. Soo.. I dunno. Opinions, questions, comments, advice?


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"Jus' me. Have you got some tea on? I could really go for a cuppa. Boring day, as always. Hate just sitting behind the desk doing paperwork. I need to do something, I just feel so useless, you know? I -" Rose dropped the bag she was holding and gasped when she walked into the kitchen.

There was no way he could be here. No way at all. He said it was impossible, but there he was, standing with a smile on his face in the kitchen. She blinked several times to get him out of her vision, but he wouldn't go away. Rose took a few steps towards him hesitantly, as if she were to cross some invisible line he'd vanish.

"I'm going mad, aren't I? You can't be here. You can't. This is just my mind playing cruel jokes on me again. Tell me it's not you. I'm dreaming. This isn't real. It can't be real." Tears were flowing down her cheeks now, and she was having difficulty breathing.

Jackie left the room then, feeling like she was intruding on something horribly private.

"Rose Tyler, you are in no way, shape, or form dreaming. It's me. Oh, it's me. I'm here, Rose. I came back for you." He said, stepping forward until he could feel her sobs against his neck. He wanted nothing more than to have her in his arms right now, but he didn't want to startle her. He was just as shocked to see her as she was to see him. His eyes were watering, but he refused to let the tears fall, because even though he was so in love with her, he still didn't want her to see him cry, even at a moment like this. His fingers ached to hold her hand once again, and he realized that his cold fingers didn't have to ache anymore in this moment. They could be warm again, and so his hand reached out to touch her arm, trailing down until it found its other half; its home.

"Doctor..." she sighed and closed her eyes when his right hand found her left. It was almost as though it'd never left her; it still fit so perfectly in her palm and against her fingers. She couldn't wait any longer. She pulled him towards her with such a force that he stumbled, but neither of them noticed or cared when he was finally in her arms, and she in his. She was crying in earnest now, not able to contain her emotions because he was back, he came back for her and she was never letting him out of her sight again.

"Rose. Rose. Rose, oh Rose I've missed you. I missed you so much." He said into her neck, pecking sweet little kisses there.

"Oh, you have no idea, Doctor. No idea at all." She pulled back then, just a little bit, so she could see his face. She lifted her hand to trace the features of his face. "How can you be here? You said it was impossible, that the worlds would collapse."

"Don't worry about that for now, alright? You're here and I'm here, we're together again, and that's all that matters." The Doctor pulled her in for another hug, but she resisted.

"I know, but Doctor... If the walls are breaking down, we have to do something, or we won't be together for much longer. We-" The Doctor interrupted her.

"Rose, don't you get it? I don't care if the walls of the universes are breaking down, I don't care if the world is about to end. I only care that you're here, that you're really, _really _here and I can hold you again and hear your voice and feel your heart beating against my chest right now. I can fix it all later." he said, looking into her eyes and begging her to just stay with him for this one moment, that they can fix everything soon, but just please let him hold her for just a few more minutes.

She cried into his shoulder, "How long have we got, though? Certainly not long."

"Probably about eight hours before it starts to break down. So, we've got plenty of time. Can you relax now and let me do the one thing I've wanted to do from the moment I took your hand?"

She nodded, and then it happened.

He leaned down to capture her lips in a passionate kiss. She shifted so he was as close as possible, though it was a bit uncomfortable - but neither of them cared.

Rose eventually had to pull back for breath, but rested her forehead against his.

"Rose..." Oh, no. The words were not going to get stuck in his throat this time. Not this time, when he'd just kissed her like he's always wanted to - like he thinks Rose has possibly always wanted to. He takes in a deep breath, about to try again when she interrupts him.

"Shh, it's okay. I know. I know, Doctor. You don't have to."

Oh, but did he want to. He wanted to say it, to finally say it out loud, to finally say it to her. Why couldn't he get it out? His Rose, always knowing what he was trying to say. She could read him like an open book, even when he thought it was closed tight and had unbreakable chains around it.

"No, Rose. I need to say it." He took a deep breath. "Rose Tyler, I love you." 

Rose grinned up at him, and then kissed him again. The kiss was much quicker and fervent than before. She was scared that now that he'd said it, he might disappear, like last time.

"I meant it when I said it at the beach, and I still mean it. I love you." Rose said against his lips.

When they finally separated, the Doctor looked into her eyes. The very same eyes he thought he'd never see again, be able to see the remnants of the Time Vortex swirling around the edges of her pupils, the very warmth that they gave off, mirroring exactly how he was feeling right now.

"You wanna tell me how you got here?" Rose asked him, biting her lip in the oh so glorious way she used to.

"Long story, but I suppose we have time, don't we?" He wasn't sure if he should tell her what happened on Mars. Would she be disappointed? Angry with him? Scared of him? Although, if he started lying about things it would surely ruin everything. So, he explained everything to her. Trying to leave, but how seeing them so frightened and helpless ate at him inside. He couldn't leave them behind, not when he was feeling so vulnerable and lost himself. He told her how for the first moments in his long life, he lost control and messed it up. How Adelaide was so brave she even took her own life to right what he had done wrong.

He then retold the story of how he broke through the walls, poking a hole in the fabric of reality to get to her again, because he was going mental without her.

"Oh, Doctor." Rose whispered as she embraced him again, rubbing the hairs at the nape of his neck in a smoothing manner. "You shouldn't have done this. It's dangerous and you know it is. I'm not saying that I'm not happy you're here, because really.. I'm.. I can't even begin to explain it, Doctor. But for now, we've got plenty of time to talk later, let's just go save the world again. Just like old times."

The Doctor smiled down at her, "Right. Okay. We will talk though, Rose. There's so much I've got to tell you!" He pulled away, but took her hand instead. "Come on then, I need to get to the Torchwood here and check for any other holes before I start patching the one I made up."


End file.
